Legal Question in Traffic Law in California

Chain Reaction Accident

I was in a chain reaction accident. I was following the car infront of me in the fast lane going 55 in traffic and he brakes and i brake and then he slams on the breaks as do i. I hit his bumper, but not that hard, but the car behind me slams into me and another car slams into it and then another. The police report says ''P-1 (me) caused this collision by driving in violation of 22350 VC- unsade speed for prevailing conditions and p-4 (the last car) was an associated factor in this collision by also driving in violation of 22350 VC. The car behind me is saying that they were able to stop without hitting me and the car behind them caused them to hit me. i know im at fault for the car infront of me but am i really at fault for the car that hit me from behind? Who is going to pay for my damages from behind? The very last car?


Asked on 6/07/06, 7:08 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq. The Law Offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & Associates

Re: Chain Reaction Accident

It will all be up to a jury to decide. The law is that you must keep a safe enough distance from the car in front of you so that you can stop even if they brake hard such as what happened in your case. The same goes for the cars behind you. However, it can be argued that but for your original rear-ender, the chain reaction would not have occurred, therefore making you at fault for the entire accident. In reality it will be up to a jury to decide based upon the law.

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Answered on 6/14/06, 4:51 am


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